Thoughts on Popular Culture and Unpopular Culture by Jaime J. Weinman (email me)

Monday, February 09, 2009

Grudge Match: Souled Spike vs. Wuss-Boy Angel

This one is mostly for Buffy the Vampire Slayer viewers. In the first three seasons of Buffy, it was widely believed that no vampire could possibly be a bigger wuss than Angel. When he went over to his own show, free from the emasculating influence of Buffy, he became less of a wuss. However, after Spike got a soul, he became just as wussy as Angel had been (and he'd been trending that way even before the ensoulment; simply having a crush on Buffy turns any vampire into a pathetic wimp). He, too, became less of a doormat after he was shoehorned into Angel.

So the question is, who would win a fight between these two vampires who have souls but no cojones: Angel from the early seasons of Buffy, or the souled Spike from the final season of Buffy?

Spike from the earlier seasons, or Angel from his own show, do not count here; it's just these specific versions of the characters fighting. Who will be better able to escape the curse of loving a WB network (or UPN, if you count that as a network) heroine?

(The only person who ever managed to love Buffy and not lose all trace of self-respect? Xander from the first couple of seasons. Even as the show's resident doofus, he was still cooler than Angel.)